Chapter3

When I woke up again, I was already lying in a hospital bed.

Noah was keeping watch by my side. Seeing me awake, he immediately leaned in with concern.

"Maya, you're finally awake. I was worried to death."

Seeing my silence, his eyes flickered, and his tone dripped with gentleness: "Those private photos... I saw them. I'm so sorry. I got drunk at the party last night, and someone grabbed the wrong phone and sent them to the local group chat."

"Don't worry, I've already used my Tech Department privileges to delete them. Don't overthink it. I won't mind these things."

I looked at him quietly, my heart a pool of dead silence.

He was obviously the culprit who took those photos in the first place, yet here he was, playing the savior.

If he hadn't used this gentle mask to desperately get close to me when I was at my most helpless, our paths would never have crossed.

Before I even had the chance to speak, the phone in his pocket buzzed.

I didn't know what was said on the other end, but he answered softly and walked out with his phone, not even glancing back.

Right after he left, Logan pushed the door open and walked in.

Looking at my wretched state, this stepbrother of mine, who was always so restrained and decent, showed undisguised disgust in his eyes:

"Know what Noah is in such a rush to do? Violet can't sleep since coming back to the country, so he went to coax her. He was just teaching you a lesson on my behalf. He won't protect you anymore, so stop being delusional."

Hearing this, my body trembled uncontrollably.

Violet was the heiress of the East Coast elite circle, the "white moon" they had pampered and cherished since childhood.

I had valued Logan as my brother in name. To fit into the Pierce family, I had always been cautious and accommodating in every way, yet it all crumbled before a single sigh from Violet.

My phone screen lit up. It was a text from my respectable mother: "Logan will handle the photo incident. Stay quietly in the hospital these next few days. Don't come out to embarrass us and upset your stepfather."

I closed my eyes, pulling a self-deprecating smile at the corner of my mouth.

It wasn't until now that I finally saw clearly: whether it was Noah, Logan, or my own biological mother, none of them ever had a place for me in their hearts.

In the past, for the sake of that pitiful shred of family affection, I would definitely have apologized to please them.

But at this moment, I just turned my head away indifferently: "Got it. It won't happen again."

Logan froze for a second: "Noah isn't here. Who are you putting on this disgusting, pitiful act for?"

He scoffed coldly and stormed out of the ward.

---

Due to extreme mental trauma, I suffered in the hospital for three whole days.

Until the day I was discharged, I was entirely alone.

Returning to that cold mansion, I took advantage of their absence to start packing my things.

There wasn't much to take, really. The charity of family affection I used to treasure like a jewel was no longer necessary.

The only thing I had to take was the amber pendant necklace my grandmother left me.

I was raised by my grandmother. Before she passed, she personally placed that old amber containing a dried leaf around my neck, telling me it meant she still loved me.

But when I opened the box, I found the amber inside was missing.

I searched the entire room but couldn't find it.

It wasn't until I pulled up the security logs I had privately set up for my room that I discovered Logan took it.

But he wouldn't answer my calls.

When I found him, he and Noah were in a top-tier private club, throwing a welcome-back party for Violet.

Through the half-open door, someone started joking:

"Noah, you leaked your nerd girlfriend's photos. Didn't she come crying to you?"

Noah's tone was breezy: "Just playing around. Logan doesn't like her, so I had to vent some anger for my brother."

Logan's tone utterly indifferent: "Why bring her up on such a happy day? Don't ruin the mood."

I clenched my fists so tightly .

The moment I pushed the door open, everyone inside fell silent.

I met Logan's cold, thin gaze and got straight to the point: "Give me back my necklace."

Before he could speak, Violet, sitting in the center, elegantly tilted her pale neck:

"You couldn't be talking about this, could you? Logan gave this to me."

I recognized it at a glance—it was the amber my grandmother left me.

"That amber is mine. It's very important to me. Please give it back." My voice shook.

Logan just chuckled, his voice as cold as if it were laced with ice and poison:

"So what if it's yours? You live in the Pierce house; everything here belongs to me. I can take whatever I want."

My nails dug deeply into my palms, drawing blood, but I felt no pain.

"You can take anything else, but not that! That's my grandmother's—"

Just then, Noah stepped forward, impatiently cutting me off:

"Isn't it just a piece of cheap plastic? I'll buy you a diamond one another day. Violet likes this one, so just treat it as your gift to her."